Neat Little Site...

[artyartie]

homasse posted about www.pandora.com in her journal, which is pretty cool. You put in an artist or song and it will create a station and recommend music based on characteristics of the artist/song. I've made a station based on KT Tunstall, who I rather like, and it's spit out some pretty good music. Here's a link below if you'd like to try it - and best of all it's free!

Comments

[aoife-hime.livejournal.com]

*squees* it's teh awesome. 'nuff said ^_^

thanks so much for spreading the word!

maturin maturin

[melroseplant.livejournal.com]

you have the greatest user pics ever! Un-friggin-believable. So, now, really, lets dish! What is your favourite Aubrey Maturin novel? I am v. fond of Fortunes of War but I also love HMS Surprise. I love it when Maturin gets to do his own thing!


I read these books consistently. "Damn you Jack, you have debauched my sloth " is one of the many examples of my absolute obsession.

Re: maturin maturin

[artyartie.livejournal.com]

I've found some good userpic - they're all credited, so feel free to snag, credit and use in your own journal! I have to say I love your icon - 'The Great Mouse Detective' is one of the best animated films.

Oooh, the Aubrey/Maturin books! I'm only up to 'Far Side of the World,' but thus far 'HMS Surprise' and 'The Fortunes of War' are my favorites as well - seriously! Though the chase with the Leopard and the butterbox in 'Desolation Island' had me gasping in suspense, it was so exciting and well written. But 'Surprise' has so much Stephen, whether humor (the sloth!!) or angst (torture, Dil, Diana). And 'Fortunes' has the wombat and Stephen being a superspy in Boston, and more Diana...

But those books are so addicting - pure literary crack. I knew within the first five pages of Master and Commander that I was hooked..

You know, it's almost eerie how many of us on longpidcc are also Age of Sail enthusiasts with a yen for Matthew Macfadyen.

Re: maturin maturin

[melroseplant.livejournal.com]

the wombat is wonderful. I think you will be gasping even more so when you reach Reverse of the Medal and the Letter of Marque.


The first I read was Desolation Island. I needed a book for the train in England, and someone knowing my affinity for all things Hornblower, recommended O'Brian. I remembered the name and picked up the first one I saw. Then, I immediately had to go back to the beginning to trace the Aubrey-Maturin relationship from the very start.


I discovered Melrose at around the same time. Immediately fell in love with two completely different yet wonderful characters! And when I fall... I fall hard!


I do hope they make more of the films! I think the first, while not solely dedicated to one of the books, encapsulated what I love most about the series: the documentation of life on a man of war, and of course, the relationship between Aubrey and Mat.

I have a love/hate relationship with Diana... she is fascinating but I hate to see Stephen often humiliated and often hurt. I want to shove her aside and give him a huge hug!

Re: maturin maturin

[artyartie.livejournal.com]

My trips to the zoo have been forever changed by those books - I've honestly had the thought of 'What would Stephen think?' come into my head seeing a lemur or other cool animal. Sadly, we have no wombats at our zoo, but we do have a sloth.

Heh, I actually started reading the Jury books out of sequence - I started with I Am The Only Running Footman and was a little confused. And I've been a Jury fan for two years now, Age of Sail just a year now. I'm up to 'Beat to Quarters' in the Hornblower books, and have, of course, seen all the movies.

I really hope they do more M&C movies as well! They really capture the spirit of the books, and have some of the best lines from them, such as the weevil line, which *still* cracks me up when I read it. But I'd love to see more of Spy!Stephen, especially since Paul would just do a brilliant job with that.

I admit, I hated Diana at first, but then there was the whole 'the necklace be damned, you will be my diamond" line and I just lost it. I would love to have the chance to use that phrase sometime in my lifetime!

Re: maturin maturin

[melroseplant.livejournal.com]

you have a wombat icon too! That is delicious !

The funny thing is, despite a life long obsession with Paul Bettany ( perhaps not life long, per se ) having seen him in Sharpe and Knight's Tale, he is not how I had pictured darling Stephen ( I had read the books before I knew who they were casting ) but though he physically is quite different, he absolutely embodies all that is wonderfully Maturinesque. I was heartbroken for him when Jack perservered on his " beligerent expedition" and Stephen was torn from his beloved Galapagos.


They completely got the relationship right in the film! MORE MORE MORE !

Re: maturin maturin

[artyartie.livejournal.com]

After the wombat scene I went and researched the buggers - they are soooo freaking cute, even if they can dig through everything. I'm going to Indianapolis in a week to visit my godmother and we're going to the zoo, which has a good Australian exhibit - if there are wombats, I will come back with photos!

There's an adorable drawing somewhere in the archives of perfect_duet that has scrawny, pale book!Stephen looking up at Paul!Stephen and being rather amused. But he does mentally and emotionally capture the doctor and all his volability - as you've seen with some of the M&C mood theme I use, you could honestly call it 'the many moods of Stephen Maturin.' Sadly, most of the sad/angry moods are his..

I think the leaving Galapagos scene is even better in the book! Poor Jack, offering him the good telescope he never lets Stephen borrow because he drops everything overboard, and Stephen, who nearly tells him to stick the scope in a very rude place. Though I think it was best they left Martin out of the movie - in the book he's fine, because Jack and Stephen already have a dynamic before he comes along, but if you put him in the movie he would have been such a third wheel. What do you think?

Re: maturin maturin

[melroseplant.livejournal.com]

oh I absolutely agree in leaving Nathaniel Martin out of the movie. It would be too much for too short a film. They need to make more in the series: more of Stephen as spy! There are so many lovely scenes of Stephen on land... Stephen at the Royal Society. I love Martin in the book, however.


I remember looking up wombats after many a Stephen reread as well.


I wish I could remember what book it is in: but there is one night ( perhaps in HMS Surprise ) where Jack and Stephen are heading into ( literally and figuratively ) dangerous waters. So, they find a piece of music that matches their moods and converse through the duet rather than through words. It is a beautiful scene.


I really am rusty! Should re read all of them after I reread all of Melrose.